History of the Qaraunah Turks in India c10.122

c10.122

و جمله معارف و اکابر شهر خاصه نویسندگان از منع سیاست سلطان جسته و ببهانه گرانی غله بازن و بیجه در اوده و ظفرآباد رفته بودند و بعضی بر عین الملک و برادران او متعلق شده و بعضی دیهها مقاطعه گرفته - wished to send him out of Hindustan in order to destroy him. That ‘Ain-al-Mulk had serious misgivings about the Sultan’s intentions cannot be doubted in view of this evidence. Again and again, the reports of the mischievous activities of these men had been brought to the Sultan’s notice, but he desisted from taking any step, because he judged it impolitic to alienate ‘Ain-al-Mulk. One day he sent word to ‘Ain-al-Mulk and explained to him the inexpediency of countenancing these men, whose misbehaviour was likely to have a dangerous effect upon the public mind, and issued an order that all notable persons and writers who had fled from Dihli to escape punishment should be arrested and sent in chains to the capital.⁸⁷ ‘Ain-al-Mulk regarded this as a foretaste of the Sultan’s cruelty, and his suspicions were confirmed. He thought that the order of transfer to Devagiri was meant only to serve as a cloak to conceal the sinister design which the Sultan entertained of destroying them. In complicity with his brothers the Malik began to think of escape, and one night he suddenly left the royal camp at Saragdwāri, and proceeded to join his brothers who had seized the entire baggage of the king which was in his charge.88 The news of these proceedings was conveyed to the Sultan by a slave Malik Shah who used to live with ‘Ain-al-Mulk.